Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machines generally indicates this to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Certain secondary games are played over the course of a number of plays of the primary or base game. Such secondary games provide the player an award for their persistence in playing the gaming machine for a prolonged number of plays or period of time. In these persistence secondary games, in association with one or more plays of the primary game, a portion of the secondary game is played or at least one secondary game element is provided to the player. After the player has obtained a number of secondary game elements (or advanced to the secondary game a number of times), these gaming machines provide a secondary game award to the player. The provided secondary game award is based on the plurality of obtained secondary game elements (or the plurality of plays of the secondary game) which occur based on triggering events associated with the plurality of plays of the primary game.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards.